Noah

(c. 2704 - 1755 BCE )

Noah was the son of Lamech and born ten generations after Adam. The Torah relates that "Noah was a righteous man in his generation" (Genesis 6:9) and thus spared the fate of all humanity at that time to the earth's destruction by water. Noah builds an ark at God's command, and takes his wife, sons Shem Ham and Japheth, and his son's daughters into the ark. The ark also saves a male and female of each animal. (Genesis 7) After 150 days of floating, the ark lands on Mount Ararat. When they enter on dry land, Noah and his family prepare sacrifices to God. God promises that he will never again destroy the earth through flood. He shows the family a sign of his eternal covenant: A rainbow. Noah plants a vineyard and becomes drunk after the ark incident and his sons cover his nakedness. He dies at age 950.

Sources: Bridger, David. Ed. The New Jewish Encyclopedia, NY: Behrman House, 1976; Navigating the Bible II